Mark Joy
by Demonic-Kat
Summary: Mark Joy is the son of Nurse Joy.  His tendency to speak out  Along with his pink hair  catches the attention of Team Plasma, especially their leader, N.  How will Mark deal with this?   N x OC
1. Chapter 1, I AM NOT A GIRL!

**My…. POKEMON STORY! Yeah, I've been wanting to do this FOREVER! SO HAPPY! Don't worry though, I'm already working towards updates on my other two stories, though my GA story has to wait till the next book comes out, I need that so I can follow some plot-stuff XD**

**Anyways, as it says in the lil description, this is gonna be an N x OC story, which will be epic, as N is adorable.**

**One last thing, this fic is… UNOVA LEAUGE! Yeppers, new pokemon, so if you have no clue what the heck they are, look em up! Of course, I'll also have some descriptions too, so hope you get lucky yeah?**

**As always, thanks to my beta, even on Codine you rock my socks! GET WELL SOON! **

**DISCLAIMER TIME!**

**Mark, Nurse Joy's rambunctious pink haired son belongs to MEEE! I'm pretty sure the idea of Nurse Joy even having a son does too, but I'm not sure, so MEH!**

**Also, N really does dress like that. I actually have the new guide book to the Unova league, and it shows a close up of him. He's cute!**

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Mark wandered around the city, used to it already. It was a bit too quiet for his tastes, but considering he was used to the lights and loud music of his home, Nimbasa City. It was home to the Amusement Park and the Musical Theater, not to mention several sports arenas and the Battle Institute.

Though Striaton City certainly had its good points too. It had a rather nice garden, plus the gym was a famous café, many girls went there just to see and be waited on by the gym leaders. Of course, he had never seen them himself.

Mark sighed and headed through a small grove of trees. He brushed his choppy pink bangs out of his face. His somewhat wavy, choppy hair was a bit long, at least an inch or two longer than most guys hair. He easily maneuvered through the trees, his slim body making it easy to get through the thick grove. Then he heard a slight cry a bit further into the grove. His somewhat feminine features were painted with surprise. He hadn't expected anything or anyone to be in here with him. He adjusted the book-bag that was slung over his shoulder and took off towards the noise.

He quickly came across a young Deerling. Its fur was pink, indicating the springtime season, and was moderately ruffled. The poor Pokemon was lying on the ground, gingerly licking the fur on its front leg. The leg had a cut a few inches across. Nothing serious really, but enough to put the young Pokemon in some pain.

Mark gingerly approached the Pokemon, who had no inclination to move. The Pokemon, which he had now determined was male, just stared up at him with big, doe-like eyes. Mark kneeled next to him and examined the cut, before pulling a potion out of his bag and spraying the wound. He absentmindedly stroked the Deerling's soft head as the potion took effect. Within a minute the cut was healed over, not even a scar left to indicate it had happened.

Mark put the potion back into his bag, and pulled out his new Pokedex. "Deerling, the season Pokemon." It stated, "Its fur changes color with the seasons. Deerling are usually friendly to travelers, but can be quite fierce to battle."

Mark listened to the explanation, and pulled out a pink Pokeball, a Heal Ball. "Uhm. I've never done this before, but would you please be my partner?" He asked the Pokemon, unsure of what he was supposed to do. His mom was Nurse Annie Joy, of Nimbasa City after all. Nurse Joy's didn't generally race out to capture Pokemon, so he was really on his own.

Luckily the little Deerling seemed to want to join him anyway, and simply touched the button on the Heal Ball with his nose, before vanishing inside of it. The ball wriggled ever so slightly, before beeping. Mark blinked, staring at the ball, before clicking a few buttons on his Pokedex.

After a quick search, he clicked the button on the pink ball, releasing his new partner. The ball proceeded to shrink to about a sixth of its former size, and he hooked it on the strap of his bag. There were special nooks on it specifically to hold the balls. He slipped the pink ball into the first slot, which was next to his shoulder, before kneeling down next to his new friend.

"So… I guess you need a name…?" He asked, and the Deerling lightly head butted him. "Alright! Alright! What about… Audi?" He asked, abbreviating the name of the Pokemon he was most familiar with, Audino. The Deerling head butted him again. "Well what do you want to be named then! Kyle? Sakura?"

X-X-X-X-X

It had been about a half-hour, and still no names. Mark pulled out one last attempt. "What about Leif!" He asked, exasperated. The Deerling didn't immediately shoot the name down by head butting him, so he jumped at the chance. "Alright! Leif is your name then!" The newly named Leif was a bit startled at his enthusiasm, but let it slide and accepted the name regardless.

The duo made their way back to town, only to walk in on a protest of some sort. Some man wearing ancient purple and golden clothing with long hair and red eyes was giving a talk, with about twenty people in white and silver uniforms behind him. It looked like they had just made it in time, but whether or not that was a blessing or a curse wasn't clear quite yet. "I am Ghetsis... Ghetsis of Team Plasma." Stated the man, before continuing with his speech. "What I have to tell you all today concerns the liberation of Pokémon." This statement caused some stirrings among the gathering crowd. "We humans have lived together with Pokémon. We require things from each other, and consider some partners... All would seem to think this is the case, in fact. Yet, is it really true? We humans all entertain only that same thought... Has there never been the consideration that it might not be? Trainers order Pokémon to do whatever they please...

They work them hard under the guise of being partners…" Mark twitched angrily. Pokemon were friends, not toys! Sure, there were bad people in the world, but the fact was that most people loved their Pokemon! What was with this man! "What if that were to be prevented by someone to clearly divide them?" He stated, causing some surprised gasps and shocked looks, including one from Mark. "Don't you agree, everyone? Pokémon are creatures whose sheer potential is limited by humans. We are beings who feel they must study a great many things, but what should we humans do to be ambassador to the oppressed Pokémon?" He asked, a few louder people were getting on board, and shouted out answers. One in particular was the one the man, Ghestis, was looking for. "Correct! We must liberate the Pokémon! And once we do, humans and Pokémon will for the first time stand as equals."

At this point Mark had heard enough. "We are equals!" He yelled angrily, before covering his mouth. Oops. He really hadn't meant to say that. Now he had the full attention of Ghestis, and most of the crowd.

"Oh, really? Is that Deerling next to you your Pokemon then?" He asked, a slight tone in his voice that Mark couldn't identify.

"No! His name is Leif, and he's my partner!" Corrected Mark, gaining courage with Leif beside him. He wasn't soft spoken like his aunts and mother. At least, not once he was riled up. His answer seemed to surprise Ghestis, who was unused to anyone speaking like this besides Team Plasma, and of course, N. It looked like Ghestis was about to say something, but he changed his mind and simply thanked the crowd for listening, before he and his goons vanished. People slowly drifted away, but Mark simply stalked into the park.

"People and Pokemon make good partners as long as they care about each other," grumbled Mark, causing Leif to let out a noise of amusement. His new human was so fun! Mark continued to grumble until they reached the fountain. He sat down on the stone edge of the fountain, sulking. Leif nudged his shoulder and Mark took out the Heal Ball, putting Leif back into it, before shrinking it again and returning it to his shoulder.

He remained lost in thought for a while longer, before someone stepped up to him. It was a slim guy with long, fluffy green hair that was in a pony tail. He wore a black and white hat, along with a black undershirt and a white shirt over the top. He had several golden square bracelets on his wrists, and a gold and green cube that hung from a chain on his belt loop. He also had an odd, planet-like necklace.

Mark looked up, his white hoodie standing out against the clear blue water, even though it was getting dark out. "Hello, my name is N," he stated, smiling.

"O-Oh, my name is Mark." He responded, unsure of why N was there.

"I apologize for Ghestis's earlier behavior. He can get… Overzealous." Said N nonchalantly, taking a seat next to Mark. "I didn't expect him to get into a fight with such a polite lady." He stated, some Team Plasma people had gathered now, and they too apologized. Mark twitched visibly, his temper snapping.

"It really wasn't polite to be mean to such a young girl."

"She did oppose him though."

"She's very polite isn't she?" Stated another Plasma member, as they talked about Mark.

"Anyways, we apologize for his behavior Miss." N stated nonchalantly, not looking too interested. That was the last straw. Mark had a feminine figure, sure, he was slim, but he WAS A GUY! He couldn't stand being mistaken for a girl.

"I AM A GUY!" He screeched angrily, causing the chattering to stop as it was replaced with a stunned silence. N was certainly interested now.

"…Really?" He questioned.

In response, Mark whirled around and simply unbuttoned his shirt, before opening it. The goons, along with N, were stunned. Oh, Mark was definitely a guy.

Then Mark whirled around, muttering about 'imbeciles who couldn't even tell what gender he was' as he buttoned up his shirt and stormed out of the park.

N watched him go, curiosity painted on his face, and his head tilted slightly. Mark was quite a mystery to him, one he certainly intended to solve.

X-X-X-X-X

Mark was buttoning the last button on his shirt as he ran into someone. He fell onto the ground, landing in a sitting position. "Ouch…" He mumbled, as someone thrust their hand down to him to help him up. He took the hand and was pulled to his feet, coming face to face with a red-headed teen about his age.

"Are you alright?" Asked the teen, and Mark nodded. "Sorry about that. I'm Chili by the way. I saw you speaking out at the protest earlier, nicely done man." He said, releasing Mark's hand.

Mark immediately liked this person. He could tell he was a guy! That was great! They struck up a conversation rather quickly and Chili guided his new pal Mark to the Pokemon Center.

X-X-X-X-X

Mark and Chili had decided to meet up at the towns café tomorrow, and had said their goodbyes outside. Mark looked around the empty center, calling out a soft greeting, before he was glomped from behind. He let out a yelp, nearly tumbling over. "A-Aunt Katie!" He yelped, "I-I can't breathe!"

His overzealous aunt let him go and proceeded to ask him all about the trip here, and other things like if he was eating properly and such. All these questions were easily answered, and his Aunt had already prepared a room for him to stay the night in. She also had her Audino check out Leif, who was luckily in perfect health.

Then Mark and Leif went to his room, though they shared the bed as Leif refused to sleep anywhere but curled up in the crook of his knees. Mark sighed. It had been a looooong day. He slowly drifted off, the sounds of Leif's breathing and the trees rustling outside lulling him to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2, Is this the right Cafe? Sure?

**I wasn't expecting to see my inbox crammed with seventeen favs/reviews/follows! DANG! I just put this up yesterday! Thanks so much for reading everyone!Just for suprising me, I'm gonna sit down and write this chapter RIGHT NOW! **

***Types Like Sonic The Hedgehog***

**Oh, and REVIEW RESPONSES!**

**AyameKitsune- Mark is totally fun! And here's the next bit so you don't have to wait XD I hate waiting too~ I'm so impatient sometimes ^_^**

**Rawrrxixeatxyou- I'm glad you love it! No worries, I will continue this story (My beta makes me when I get lazy). It happens to Mark a lot, but it's fun to watch him spaz about things when he's mistaken for a girl. You get mistaken for a guy? Mark would glomp you. He really would. **

**On a side note, I like your rambling~**

**Kmatt23456- I will keep it up, pinky-promise. Oh, and your name reminds me of a math problem.**

**111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321**

**It really does.**

**And a special thanks to enmathewolfdemon, you favorited my story first out of anyone!**

**Disclaimer: Ghestis speech last time is actually nearly exactly what he says in the game~ So that bit belongs to Pokemon~**

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Mark stared up at the large building. It was actually rather impressive, not to mention nicely designed. He walked up the steps to the enterance, gently touching the Heal Ball that was in the nook of his bag near his shoulder. Leif had refused to actually get out of the bed, so Mark had simply used the Heal Ball on the sleepy Deerling. At least that way Leif could wake up a bit more slowly. Plus Leif was heavier than he looked, so picking him up hadn't been an option for Mark.

Mark was busy thinking about Leif's strange sleeping habits as he opened the door and stepped inside. He was immediately jolted back to reality. The café was lavishly furnished and clearly well taken care of. Not to mention it was packed with girls! Of course, it looked nothing like a gym… He knew the gym he was looking for was a popular café, but he didn't see any place in the building that looked suitable for battling… Well, he was meeting Chili here soon, so he could ask him when he showed up.

Mark was so busy taking everything in, that he didn't notice when a green haired teen appeared next to him. "Hello~ Can I help you?" asked the teen, surprising Mark.

"Uhm, yes. I'm supposed to be meeting a friend here, and I wanted to know if he was here yet?"

"Of course, what's your friends name?" Asked the teen, who's name tag identified him as Cilan.

"His name is Chili. He's got really bright red hair, he's hard to miss." explained Mark, his words drawing another teen in a uniform that was identical to Cilan's. Both wore a tuxedo jacket, but without sleeves, a button up shirt with short sleeves, and black pants. This teens name was Cress.

"Hm? Chili's rather busy right now Miss, but if you like we can have him wait on your table." offered Cress. Mark twitched. Luckily for Cress, Chili noticed them from across the room and made his way over.

"Mark! Glad you could make it!" He said, clapping Mark cheerfully on the back. The other two teens looked up at Chili.

"Mark?" They asked in unison, confused looks on their faces.

"Yeah, this is the guy I was telling you guys about yesterday. Oh, don't tell me." he said, face palming. "They mistook you for a girl didn't they?" Mark nodded, and the other two teens made a few sincere apologies, and were clearly ready to make more when Mark cut them off.

"I-It's fine, it happens sometimes." He responded. The three smiled and Chili started talking again.

"Oh, weren't you asking me about the gym yesterday?" Mark nodded. He had told Chili that he had really wanted to find the gym, but he had managed to get a bit lost. Plus the whole incident with Ghestis and N didn't really leave a lot of time for sightseeing. "Well, here it is!" Said Chili excitedly as he grinned.

The three introduced themselves and struck poses by one of the walls, which quickly opened up to reveal a battle field. Mark was in awe. "You can fight any one of us Mark, and if you win you get the Trio Badge!" explained Cilan.

Mark thought about this carefully. It was clear what type of Pokemon they would use just by looking at the leader's hairstyles and attitudes. His Pokedex had said Deerling was a grass and ground type… Grass was weak against fire, so fighting Chili was out. He hadn't wanted to fight Chili anyways, fighting your friends didn't sound like much fun to him.

Then there was Cress, a water type user. Grass was good against water, but Lief was also part ground type, and he wasn't sure if water would be effective against ground types, so Cress was out too.

So that left Cilan.

"I'd like to battle Cilan." He stated, and Chili grinned, stepping up on the referee pedestal. Cilan went to one end of the rocky arena, while Mark went to the other end. Cress was serving drinks to the girls on the second floor balcony who were cheering loudly for Cilan. Hey, where the heck did they find pom-poms!

Mark pulled his pink Heal Ball out of the nook in his bag strap, and clicked the button once to enlarge the ball. He could vaguely see Leif inside, who was now awake. "Ready Leif?" He asked, before throwing the ball. "Go Leif!" He called, as pink light shot from the ball, depositing Leif in the gym, before the ball shrunk and bounced back to Mark.

"A grass type eh? That makes two of us!" Called Cilan, who then threw his ball. "Go, Pansage!" A green monkey was deposited onto the field. It had a leafy hairdo and threw a few practice punches while bouncing on the balls of its feet. It was clearly no rookie to battles. "You can have the first move, attack from anywhere you like."

Mark examined the field for a few moments, very glad that he had looked up some of Leifs attacks in the Pokedex this morning. Leif was injured yesterday, but not badly, so he had to be able to fight at least a little bit to get away with nothing but a scratch. "Alright. Leif, jump kick!" He said, and the small Deerling charged speedily at the green monkey, jumping off a rock and landing solidly, kicking Pansage's chest in the process and sending it flying. Pansage lifted itself back up and shook the attack off.

"Pansage, scratch!" called Cilan, and the Pokemon vanished from the spot, appearing in front of Leif and clawing him several times, sending the startled Pokemon backwards a few steps. Mark chewed his bottom lip lightly as he thought of what to do. Cilan didn't waste any time launching another attack. "Bullet seed!" An array of seeds launched at Leif, and Mark didn't know what to do. Leif braced himself, but as soon as the seeds got close to the Deerling, they turned into green energy that instead flowed into Leif, suprising Mark and Cilan.

Mark's Pokedex spoke from his pocket. "Deerlings special ability, Sap Sipper. Grass attacks are absorbed and used to increase Deerlings attack."

Cilan nodded, the explanation made sense, while Mark was formulating a strategy. This could be useful, and now Leif's attack was up… "Leif, Faint Attack!" Mark called, and Leif vanished from the spot, fading into the darkness, before re-appearing as he rammed the Pansage, pushing the Pokemon into a rock and actually leaving a few cracks. Leif back off now, and instead trotted over to Mark. Pansage was getting up now, but it was out of energy and one more attack would take it down. "Uhm, Cilan, can we stop now? I don't think that Pansage can take much more, and I don't want him to get hurt." He said. Just as Cilan was about to respond, Pansage fell down, too beaten to continue.

"Mark wins!" Yelled Chili, as Mark jumped off the podium he was standing on, and darted over to the Pansage. Cilan made his way over too, though at a slower pace. Mark pulled out a super-potion and sprayed Pansage's wounds, making them slowly vanish. He checked the Pokemon over, making sure it was alright. Pansage soon woke up and looked up at Mark questioningly. "Are you alright?" asked Mark, oblivious to the Gym Leaders looks as they watched the interaction. The Pokemon nodded and Mark smiled, helping it up, before returning to his Deerling and healing it with a potion. "Great job Leif, you're really tough." He commented, causing the Deerling to stand a bit straighter, proud of his performance.

Cilan walked over, Cress and Chili behind him. Pansage was on his shoulder. "As promised, here is the Trio badge, you've earned it." He said, pressing the tri-colored badge into Mark's hand. Mark grinned and showed it to Leif, before putting it in his badge case, which was just a metal case with an electronic key lock designed to hold badges.

"Thanks for such a great battle."

"It was fun, you and your Deerling certainly know how to pack a powerful flavor into your fighting." Responded Cilan. Mark took this as a compliment, though he really shouldn't have expected otherwise, as Cilan was a Pokemon Connoisseur.

"Indeed, it was quite a fight." Added Cress.

"I knew you were a good trainer! I could tell when I met you!" Grinned Chili.

"Your Deerling, Leif was it? Is also exquisite. He works well with you." Said Cress.

"T-Thank you!"

X-X-X-X-X

Mark was in the garden once more, eating his lunch that he had bought at the café. Leif was munching on some Pokemon food that his aunt had made specially for him, and clearly it was good.

Mark examined the map in his Pokedex, looking for the next place to go. "Looks like… Nacrene city." He mumbled, swallowing the last bit of his lunch. "Lets go!"


	3. Chapter 3, Lightning

**Hallo! Chapter 3 is here! I actually worked on this one for a bit, so enjoy it! SORRY IT'S SO LATE! *Bows Japanese style* My account was being mean and wouldn't let me upload it! Well, here's to hoping it works now!  
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**First to sort this out, I know Deerling is a Grass/Normal type. It's part of the plot~! **

**Flarey phoenix- I realize he wouldn't have beaten the gym that easily. I actually timed the chapter so that things wouldn't make sense. Thanks for noticing though, I was worried no one would! ^_^ Anyways read this chapter and it WILL make sense once more!**

**Psycro4- I knows~ Wait and seee about Deeeerling. Oh, and thanks for the compliment!**

**Stormrifle- Wait and see, trust me, battles are never over that fast, I knows it~ It'll make sense soon. Thanks for the tips though~  
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**Rawrrxixeatxyou- Mark is so fun to glomp! *Glomps Mark***

**Mark: ACK!**

**Oh, N probably is too, but he's great at hiding so I can never find him when I want to. *Sigh* If it helps I can't be serious either! ITS SO BORING! OMNOMNOM! Yeah, rambling is good for the brain! I ramble too, see? Hm, yeah I guess he did beat Cilan~ Well, for now. *snickers* Read this chapter first, then you'll see~.**

**Nah, your reviews are fun. To be honest in my stories I usually daydream one main point, then I make up the rest as I go. Even the chapters. I plan one chapter at a time, then write it all at once on the spot. I find it funner that way, because then even I don't know what's coming next! Makes me want to write and find out! XD**

**Kmatt23456- The badge thing again~ Oh, I am going to have so much fun with this. And yes, your name IS like a math problem. Crazy right?**

**Wow, that's a lot of rambling for me here. Chapter 3, here we go!**

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"So, done eating ye- Leif?" he questioned. Leif was gone, and the park was deserted. Mark stood up and tried again. "Lei- WOAH!" he yelped as he was pushed backwards into the fountain. He came up, coughing up a bit of water. His clothes and hair were plastered to him, slick with water. He pushed his sopping bangs away from his eyes and looked around, only to find the recently filled park now deserted and devoid of people. He pulled himself out of the fountain, rubbing his eyes to make sure that he was indeed alone and not hallucinating or something. He wasn't.

Mark did the only plausible and sensible thing he could do, and proceeded to trod back into the city, his shoes squelching with every step. Luckily, seeing as the park was very close to the city, he made it there in under two minutes. The streets were all empty, and although this was a quieter town, he had at least expected some of those random fan girls of the café to be hanging about. He passed a shop, glancing in the window, only to see it abandoned. Merchandise was out and unprotected. Heck, even the register was open! Did this store want to get robbed!

Mark checked a few other buildings and stores as well, only to see that they were in the same state the shop had been in. Everything was working, some food was even still hot, but there were no people, not even inside the Pokemon Center! His Aunt's NEVER LEAVE THE POKECENTER!

Heck, they even slept there! Something was seriously up if they had abandoned the building! Mark walked towards the towns exit, only to be shoved again by another mysterious force and pushed back into the city. He glared at the exit and tried to leave again, only to get the same result. He muttered a few things that _really_ shouldn't be repeated about said force, before heading back through town.

He had just stopped outside the gym when he saw a large crackle of blue lightning hit the fountain in the park. His eyes widened in surprise and he ran to the park, hoping someone else had seen the lightning and was there now. He rushed towards the broken fountain, only to find a small necklace on the ground next to it. He picked it up, almost dropping it when it jolted him with electricity. He held it for a few moments to make sure it wouldn't do that again, before unclenching his hand and examining it. The necklace's chain was made of a thin black metal. The black metal was rather translucent and showed a line of electric blue metal going through it. The metal, for he was positive it was metal, acted rather like cloth. He had never seen anything like it.

There was a small charm attached to the metal. The charm was a small lightning bolt, about two inches long. The bolt was made of the same material as the black metal, but inside, along with the blue metal, was a twisting ruby metal. The ruby and blue metals swirled and meshed inside the bolt, leaving only the black to cover it up. The colors seemed to glow in the light.

Mark had the strangest feeling that he should wear the necklace, and he promptly slipped it over his head. He felt another jolt as the metal charm touched him for the first time, but it was gone as soon as it had come. A roar rang out through the city, and several blue lightning bolts crackled down near Mark, causing him to jump and fall over. His wide eyes stared up at the sky as he was now sprawled out on the ground. A black shadow flitted across his vision as he heard the roar again, before he suddenly felt the world fade from his vision and he lost consciousness…

X-X-X-X-X

Mark blinked blearily as he came to, hearing a few voices beside him. He blinked a few more times to make sure that he was not, in fact, imagining the new long-haired woman beside him and a floating…. Pokemon? It took a few moments for the woman to see he was awake, but when she did she grinned and started checking his temperature and such. "You're finally awake! In good condition too! You were asleep for about thirty-two hours too! Or was it thirty-three? Oh well, no matter, you're awake now!" The woman continued chattering as Mark digested all the information. He had been asleep due to the effects of something called Dream Dust. Her Pokemon, Munna, had absorbed the dust and woken him up again. He had been asleep for about a day and a half, sufficiently freaking out his Aunt and her Audino.

X-X-X-X-X

Mark raced to the café (an hour later than he had intended, due to his Aunt insisting he be checked over at least four extra times), even though he was a day late perhaps his dream was right and Chili would be there? He felt a small spark of electricity run through him as he opened the door to the café and stepped inside.

Wow, the Café looked nothing like it had in his dreams. Inside it was very calm and relaxing, though it was still packed with girls. There were round tables in various locations around the place, and a register up front. A green haired guy manned the register, wearing the same uniform as he had in his dream, a modified suit. Behind him there was a large poster showing the three gym leaders from his dream posing as he had seen them do in his dream. Their Pokemon mimicked their poses and a wall was opening up behind them. The name of each gym leader was above their head, and they read, 'Chili, Cilan and Cress' in order.

So that was where he had seen them before! They had posters! He had probably passed one on his way here and forgotten about it! Well that explained some of his dream. Weird how accurate it had been though… Luckily it was just a dream, after all, the town and café were packed with people today! Plus, no one here had mysteriously vanished and re-appeared in cheerleading uniforms with colorful pom-poms yet either, so that was a pretty good sign.

The green haired gym leader, Cilan, approached him quickly after noticing his arrival. "Hello, how can I help you?" He asked. It seemed the real Cilan wasn't as quick to make assumptions as his dream counterpart had been, which was good. He didn't think he could take being mistaken for a girl yet again…

"I'm here for a gym battle." Mark responded, and Cilan smiled.

"Oh, well right this way then. It's nice to have a fresh challenger, there hasn't been one in quite a while." He led the way to the back room, though without the theatrics. Apparently they really only did the poses for show and didn't do them all the time. That was just fine with Mark, he personally thought it was rather embarrassing to watch them pose like that himself. He certainly wouldn't do it any more than he had to either.

Mark was led to the gyms battle area, which was quite a bit different from his dream. The battle area had a few rocks, but they were fairly small and it was mostly made of dirt. Mark was dwelling on how different his dream was from the real thing when Cilan snapped him out of his thoughts. "So, do you know who you would like to battle?"

Mark had given that very question a great deal of thought on the way here. Fighting a gym leader wouldn't be nearly as easy as it had been in his dream, he would have to be careful. "…I want to fight Cress." He responded. Cilan nodded in approval, and went to fetch his brother.

Chili had arrived soon after Cilan left, and Mark apologized profusely for not showing up while explaining what had happened.. "It's no biggie Mark, actually a lot of the city was shut down yesterday. There was some incident with Dream Dust or something. Since you were asleep, you probably got caught up in it."

The two chatted about the Dream Dust for a bit longer before Chili inquired about which Pokemon Mark would be fighting Cress with. "Oh, I only have Leif, the Deerling." Chili nodded.

"Good choice. Deerling is a grass and normal type, so water type moves won't have a lot of effect. Be careful though, Cress it very aware of the weaknesses of water type Pokemon, so he'll be sure to have something up his sleeve." Mark furrowed his brow momentarily, before going back to normal. That was right, Deerling was a grass/normal type Pokemon. Well, he was new to the whole Pokemon Trainer thing, so it was easy for him to get confused.

Cress emerged with Cilan a few moments after Chili and Mark had begun to talk. "So, I will be battling you, correct?" asked Cress. Mark nodded. "May the best trainer win." smiled Cress politely. While Cress seemed a bit colder than his brothers, he was actually very polite.

"Thanks. Good luck to you too." replied Mark, as they each went to their separate sides of the arena. There was a painted square for trainers to stand in. It was slightly elevated so that they both had a clear view of the field. Chili stepped up onto the judging podium and started to explain the rules.

"This will be a one on one match, when a Pokemon can no longer continue to fight, the other Pokemon will be declared the winner." Chili stated. Mark pulled out his Pokeball, as did Cress. They both threw them at the same time, neatly depositing Leif and a Panpour onto the field.

"As the challenger, you can have the first move." said Cress coolly, examining Leif. Mark thought about which move to make for a moment, before ordering an attack.

"Leif, Jump Kick!" He called, and Leif charged forward, pushing off the ground and hurtling towards the Panpour.

"Panpour, dodge it." said Cress, snapping his fingers. The Panpour responded and simply stepped to the left, causing Leif to go hurtling into the ground. As Leif struggled to his feet, Cress fired off another order. "Water Gun!" Panpour held out its paws and a jet of water blasted from his extended palms towards Leif.

"Leif! Dodge it!" Yelled Mark. Leif managed to move out of the way, but Panpour simply adjusted its aim and the spray managed to clip Leif's hip. Leif couldn't do anything if this onslaught kept up… He had to find an opening! Cress shouted out for Panpour to use scratch, and Mark found his chance. He waited until a few seconds before Panpour's attack would have hit, and then suddenly yelled, "Leif! Faint Attack!"

Leif faded into darkness just as Panpour was about to hit it, leaving the confused Panpour hurtling towards a rock. "NOW!" yelled Mark, and Leif reappeared behind Panpour, ramming it into the rock. The Panpour let out a slight cry as the rock cracked beneath it, causing Cress to take action.

"Double Team!" He yelled, and suddenly several Panpours appeared. Leif didn't know which was the real one, and neither did Mark. Before the duo had time to retaliate, another attack was sent at them. "Bite!" All the Panpours charged Leif, causing him to rear back in panic. Panpour, who had been aiming to bite Leif's head, was now stuck on Leif's front leg, its teeth digging into Leif, who let out a panicked noise. Then, the dirt around Leif started to shift, before rising into the air and battering Panpour with dirt and small pebbles. The pebbles grew larger as Leif grew more frantic. Eventually one pebble hit Panpours closed eye, causing it to let out a pained noise and let go of Leif. The dirt-storm stopped as Leif retreated, limping slightly.

"What the-…" Started Mark, who quickly shook his head and returned to the battle. He would figure out what that was later. "Leif, Jump Kick while it's down!" He called, and before Cress could react, Leif was in the air and speeding toward Panpour with his good leg extended. Panpour tried to get away, but Leif was simply faster. The kick send Panpour flying across the arena and into the wall. After a moment the Pokemon shakily got to its feet and struck an offensive pose, ready to keep fighting. Leif, though limping, had a stubborn look in his eyes as well. That only meant one thing: This fight wasn't over yet.

Cress was the first to order another attack, which send Panpour charging at Leif, who was clawed in his flank. Leif reared up on his hind legs again, and brought them both down on Panpours chest. Panpour let out a yelp of pain as Cress shouted, "Water Gun!" A spray shot from Panpours hands, shooting Leif off of the injured Pokemon and sending him skidding across the gym.

Leif shakily righted himself as he and Mark got back into the battle. It was clear that the fight was almost over now, and both Pokemon were fading fast. One attack could mean victory or defeat at this point. Mark felt a sharp jolt to his chest, which while surprising, didn't actually hurt him. It did however, snap him from his thoughts. "Leif, Energy Ball!"

"Panpour, Scald!" ordered Cress. Panpour started to steam while a white and brown ball of energy swirled in front of Leif. Panpour overlapped its paws and sent forth a speeding fountain of clear, steaming water. Leif's energy ball shot off, impacting with the jet of water. The energy ball pushed against the water, being shoved back and forth, before the water simply engulfed the ball. The ball glowed, and proceeded to explode. A bright flash of white overtook the gym, blinding everyone momentarily. As Mark blinked the spots from his vision, he saw Leif and Panpour both lying against opposite walls.

Chili waited a moment, examining both Pokemon, and was about to call the match a draw when he caught some movement out of the corner of his eye. It was Panpour! Panpour was getting up, supporting itself with the wall. Leif was doing the same thing in the opposite side of the gym. The two stared each other down, before Panpour collapsed.

"The winner is the challenger Mark, and his Deerling, Leif!" He called. Mark hopped down to Leif, and pulled out a potion. He carefully sprayed Leif's wounds, but promised the Pokemon he would let Audino and his Aunt look him over later. On the opposite side of the gym, Cress simply returned Panpour to its Pokeball and congratulated it on a good fight, before making his way over to Mark.

Cress and Cilan followed him, and they quickly assembled side by side in front of Mark. Mark stood up, Leif following suit. "Congratulations Mark, you've earned it!" said Chili, handing Mark a small box. Mark opened the box to see the gym badge from his dream nestled within.

"This is the Trio Badge." explained Chili as Mark gently put the badge into his Badge Case.

"Thanks for a good battle Cress."

"I should be thanking you. It was a good match, you've earned your badge." responded a smiling Cress. Mark smiled back, it had been a good fight, but Cress seemed to be forgetting someone.

"We earned it, together." replied Mark, Leif perking up at the unexpected praise.

"Agreed. Your Deerling is impressive. Where did it learn to use Nature Power?"

"Nature Power?" asked Mark, clearly confused. Cilan answered this time.

"That was when all the dirt and stones started swirling around Leif of course." explained Cilan, before continuing, "Nature Power is a move that makes use of a Pokemon's surroundings to attack. It's very difficult to learn." he stated, causing Leif to puff up proudly.

X-X-X-X-X

After a quick check up with Audino, Mark's Aunt declared Leif perfectly fine. She also put Mark in a headlock for worrying her by staying asleep for so long.

Mark managed to escape the Pokemon Center quickly, and he and Leif headed towards the Park. Apparently if you left through the Park, you could find a daycare center. Mark wanted to check it out, and was dragging Leif along for the ride.

They exited the park and walked through the open forest area, only to be overtaken by two people in gray and white clothing. It was those Plasma guys! A little girl was racing after them, crying out for her Pokemon. Mark felt his blood boil. HOW DARE THEY STEAL SOME INNOCENT LITTLE GIRL'S POKEMON!

Mark raced after them, Leif right on his heels.

He was so busy chasing after Team Plasma, he didn't notice the lightning pendant that was around his neck, under his shirt.


End file.
